Ascendance of a Bookworm - Part 4 Founder of the Royal Academy’s So-Called Library Committee Volume 8

to be done as winter handiwork.”
Leisegang had many acres of farmland, and because it was in the south, its

snow melted quicker than that of somewhere like Haldenzel. It had such a rich
farming environment that it was called Ehrenfest’s breadbasket, and the printing
industry would purely be a side business, rather than its primary focus.

“The giebe said that the farming industry will remain the province’s highest
priority,” Wilfried continued. “A natural choice for Ehrenfest’s breadbasket.”

Leisegang’s harvest would pretty much decide what the nobles had to eat
during the winter, so the province was taking special care every year to avoid
any complaints about a smaller yield than usual.

“I see you’ve been working hard, Wilfried,” I said.
“Huh?”
“I am simply impressed by how much you know about Leisegang.”
“I did a lot of research with Ignaz before we left,” Wilfried declared with a
subtle but proud smile. Elvira let out a quiet “Oh my...” at this remark, while
Cornelius followed with an amused “I guess Rozemyne’s her next target.”
“The Gutenbergs will be staying here during their trip,” our guide announced.
We had finally arrived at the winter mansion after stopping at Fluss’s various
workshops to drop off most of our luggage. The farmers were due to return to
their land, so this accommodation was ideal.
“I see it was wise for us to bring our own cleaning implements,” Gil said.
“Lutz, shall we begin right away?”
“Of course. Let’s go, Gil.”
They were very much used to these long trips, and after climbing out of my
Pandabus, they got right to work. It was at their instruction that the Gutenbergs
started unloading the remaining luggage, and as I saw how reliable they had
become, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Hugo is going to be preparing our food for the duration of our stay here,” I
said as Lutz and Gil continued to oversee the cleaning. “Meals should be taken
in the side building.”
I returned to the summer mansion, bringing only Benno and Damian of the
Plantin Company with me, since they were needed for the next stage of the
agreements. We sipped tea there while Giebe Leisegang and Elvira led the
discussion on the final checks, after which the Plantin Company signed a
contract regarding the Printing and Plant Paper Guilds.
Leisegang had a thriving logging industry thanks to its forests and mountains,
and the wood it produced was going to play a key role in the making of paper.

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The children of the orphanage would also be helping out, making it seem like
this work could also be done by women and older people.

“Giebe Leisegang. I apologize for my rudeness, but if the printing industry is
being treated as winter handiwork, is there not a chance that your income won’t
exceed your investment?” Benno asked, seeming a bit concerned at how the
contract was shaping up. As it stood, the printing industry would only be active
for a short while, and unlike in Haldenzel, not all of the citizens would be
working toward it. I was similarly concerned that Leisegang would not draw
much profit, especially because they had put so much money into the endeavor.

“That is not for you to worry about, merchant,” Giebe Leisegang said.
“Income is not the only thing that will make this investment worthwhile. We
have no intention of canceling our contract, no matter how this fares
financially.”

“Understood,” Benno replied with a nod. He then turned to Damian, who
produced the necessary contract, and the required signatures were soon put to
paper.

“That was the final contract we the Plantin Company needed to sign
regarding the Printing and Plant Paper Guilds,” Benno said.

“I see. In that case, they may return to the other Gutenbergs,” Giebe
Leisegang said. Benno and Damian stood up, said their farewells, and then
departed. Coming here must have been a real test of mental endurance,
especially with all the nobles around. At least now they could rest in the side
building.

Now that the meeting was composed entirely of nobles, Giebe Leisegang
called for fresh tea to be poured, then looked over at Wilfried and Charlotte. He
kept up his peaceful smile, but his eyes seemed to be searching. I tensed up at
once, eager to protect them.

“This is a rare opportunity,” Giebe Leisegang began. “I wish to hear your
thoughts directly from you, rather than through a messenger. Would you indulge
me?”

Wait, he’s talking to me?!
I instinctively straightened my back while blinking in surprise. Naturally, in
this environment, I couldn’t refuse him. The air was heavy with suspense,
affecting not just my retainers, but everyone else in attendance as well.
“Uncle...”
Leonore tried to interject, but the giebe simply shook his head. I glanced over
at Elvira and Karstedt, who returned almost imperceptible nods. They were

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instructing me to deal with this properly.
So, I need to prop up Wilfried and emphasize that I don’t intend to become

the next archduke.
I turned to face the giebe, recalling the advice that Ferdinand had given me,

and said, “You may ask what you like.”
“Thank you. Now, I am of the opinion that Ewigeliebe will always reach out

to Geduldh when she is within his grasp. How do you feel about this, Lady
Rozemyne?”

Um, excuse me...? Hold on a second. Let me decode this message.
“It certainly is the case that Ewigeliebe will always reach out to Geduldh...” I
said, repeating his words almost verbatim in an attempt to buy myself more time
to think.
Um... Geduldh is often used to refer to where one lives, so that probably
means Ehrenfest in this case.
After some quick contemplation, I managed to guess at what he was trying to
say. “Why do you not aim to be the next aub when you are an archduke
candidate with more than enough skill, mana, supporters, and accomplishments
to make it happen?” Of course, I couldn’t be certain that this was his question,
but I was confident that it was something along those lines.
“But I am not Ewigeliebe,” I continued, “so I do not have a need for
Geduldh.” I was hoping to make it clear that not everyone wanted the archducal
seat.
The giebe exhaled slowly. “My niece Leonore, my distant relative Brunhilde,
and my half-nephew Hartmut all said the same, but I am simply not satisfied.
Why do you not seek Geduldh? If you did, Lady Rozemyne, then everything
would come together so smoothly.”
So he said, but having a former commoner like me become the aub was
bound to cause more problems than anything else.
“Lord Wilfried was clearly on the path to becoming the next archduke, but
when he entered the Ivory Tower, he lost his standing and was placed on equal
footing with his younger siblings,” the giebe continued. “Now, he is once again
seen as being the next archduke—but only because he is engaged to you, Lady
Rozemyne. You are the one best suited to becoming the next aub, and this
knowledge is eternally frustrating to us Leisegangs, as your family by blood.”
Giebe Leisegang maintained that there wouldn’t be any problems if my
engagement were reversed, such that I took the position of aub instead. I tilted
my head slightly and glanced over at Wilfried. He was doing his best to keep his

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head up, but his tightly clenched fists told me everything.
“I firmly believe that Wilfried will make the better aub, so our positions will

never be reversed,” I said. Giebe Leisegang and Wilfried himself stared at me in
astonishment, while the nearby retainers all did the same. Karstedt, meanwhile,
looked to be very interested indeed.

“It is precisely because he was once knocked down that he knows what it
takes to claw back up again,” I continued. “He is going to the widely loathed
temple and assisting with ceremonies to lessen my burden as the High Bishop.
He sees Ehrenfest’s people with his own eyes and possesses the feelings
necessary to both protect and live with them. Giebe Haldenzel acknowledges this
as well.”

“But the same goes for you, Lady Rozemyne, does it not?” Giebe Leisegang
asked, stroking his chin. “You displayed the talent necessary to overcome your
poor reputation as one raised in the temple, dedicate yourself to Ehrenfest as the
High Bishop, and protect the duchy’s people. In your compassion, you opened
your heart even to orphans.”

Well, when you put it like that, I really do sound like a saint.
I could only listen in a daze, struggling to believe that he was referring to me.
Hartmut must have been spreading his legends about me to that tune. In truth, I
didn’t even want to think about it.
“Giebe Leisegang... there is one thing in particular that separates me from
Wilfried,” I eventually said. “To me, this one thing makes it abundantly clear
that he is better suited to becoming the next aub.”
“And what is that, exactly?” the giebe asked, leaning forward a bit. I could
feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I merely rested a hand on my chest and smiled.
“My very life is dedicated to books and their creation. Making new paper as
cheaply as possible, setting up more and more printing workshops... Everything
that I do is for the sake of this solitary aim. Yes, my efforts are proving
beneficial to the duchy right now, but I can assure you that I act only out of
personal interest. I, unlike Wilfried, am driven only by my own selfish desires. I
wish to create, read, and surround myself with books.”
“I... I see...” Giebe Leisegang replied. He allowed only the slightest amount
of surprise to show on his face, but it was enough for me to guess what he was
thinking. News of my book obsession had probably reached his ears some time
ago, but only now did he realize its severity.
The tension in the air seemed to ease, allowing Wilfried to crack a smile.
“How would Ehrenfest fare under Rozemyne, who always prioritizes her own

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wishes above all else?” he asked. “Not well, I would say, and ensuring that it
does not come to pass is the challenge given to me as the next archduke. There is
still much for me to learn, but I intend to put my all into it. Giebe Leisegang—
you are Rozemyne’s most fervent supporter, which means you are able to help
Rozemyne realize some ideas and convince her to give up on others. I request
that you use this to guide Ehrenfest down a brighter path. It would be very
heartening to have her blood relatives on my side.”

Wilfried... Didn’t you more or less just say that I would make a tyrant
archduchess, and that the Leisegangs can only vouch for me to become the next
aub if they learn to contain my rampages?!

I wasn’t sure how much of that little speech was genuine and how much was
deliberately exaggerated, but it seemed that Giebe Leisegang hadn’t known
about my... rampaging tendencies. Wilfried had succeeded in landing a critical
hit on his spirit.

“I understand both of your positions,” the giebe said. “However, in either
case, Leisegang is a fair distance from the city of Ehrenfest. The degree to which
we can help is limited, but we will do what we can, if allowed.”

Despite having made it clear that he was my strongest backer only a moment
ago, Giebe Leisegang was now taking a liberal step back and clarifying that
there was only so much he could do.

“It’s just, erm... I will need to sway Grandfather’s unbreaking will first.” The
giebe looked in the direction of what was presumably my great-grandfather’s
room. “He was effectively made to eat dirt when Lady Gabriele married into the
duchy, and he continued to suffer under Lady Veronica’s cold treatment. He has
lived surrounded by hatred, and his heart has been hardened by it. I understand
how he feels, as I experienced our province’s darkest days with him, but...”

Giebe Leisegang turned back to us, sighed, and then looked over all the
gathered retainers with a half-smile. “There are now many Leisegangs among
the archducal family’s retainers, but this was not the case five years ago.
Ehrenfest winters are long and leave the north of the duchy frozen over, meaning
the harvest of a southern province like ours is essential. We have used our mana
to expand our farmland for generations, since long before Ehrenfest became the
duchy it is today, and we have continued to protect our vast fields through the
changing of the aubs through loyalty and marriages. We will remain loyal to the
aub to protect our province, as we have done and shall always continue to do. In
truth, my intention had been to express my loyalty to even Lady Veronica after
Grandfather died.”

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Wilfried stared at the giebe in disbelief. “But I was told that the Leisegangs
hated Grandmother...”

“Very few people would feel otherwise about someone who treated them so
poorly. However, she is still a member of the archducal family. Proclaiming our
loyalty to protect our land is part of the Leisegang creed, and it remains in our
best interests to continue it, even if our expressions do not come from the heart.”

Unlike his grandfather, who had stood among Ehrenfest’s top brass before
being knocked down and mistreated when an archduke candidate from
Ahrensbach married into the duchy, Giebe Leisegang had been mistreated from
birth. He was fine with facing reality, displaying loyalty, and working on
climbing his way up the ranks. His plan had been to secure bonds through
marriage, perhaps having Sylvester take a Leisegang woman as his second wife,
or marrying a Leisegang woman to whoever would be the next archduke.

“And then, everything changed,” the giebe continued. “Lady Veronica fell
from power before Grandfather died, and as if by fate, Lady Rozemyne was
baptized as Lord Karstedt’s daughter and promptly adopted by the archduke.”

It was when I gave everyone a blessing during my baptism and the aub
adopted me that Grandpa Leisegang started getting all excited about glory
returning to his house. My adoption meant that it was within my rights to
become the next aub, and with the controversy surrounding Wilfried at the time,
most nobles had assumed that Sylvester would give the position to me and make
Wilfried my husband in order to tie his blood to mine.

The castle had gone through changes of such great substance that even giebes
from faraway provinces had come to notice. These included a massive series of
replacements for the scholars working in the castle, similar replacements for
Wilfried’s retainers, the winter playroom being completely reworked, and Lord
Ferdinand and I overseeing the sale of new toys and books.

“If you become the next aub, Lady Rozemyne, then it will mark the birth of a
ruling Leisegang archduchess with none of Gabriele’s Ahrensbach blood. No
sooner had Grandfather made the call than the Leisegang nobles previously
scorned by Lady Veronica gathered and moved to back you.”

However, the Charlotte kidnapping incident had occurred soon after, and for
the next two years, I was asleep in a jureve. There was no way for the
Leisegangs to regain their former status without a figurehead to support. Great-
Grandfather had apparently screamed, “Are there no gods?!” before falling
unconscious, and quite some time had passed before he woke up again.

“Even while you were asleep, Ehrenfest continued to change,” the giebe said.

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The Veronica faction was replaced, Leisegang nobles were assigned to
increasingly important posts, and the mood in the air indicated that Wilfried and
Charlotte would be competing for the aub seat. The Leisegangs had united to
make me the next archduchess, but as there was no indication of when I might
wake up again, there was no helping them drifting apart.

“But no sooner had we lost hope than your awakening was publicized, and
you arrived for winter socializing.”

Upon hearing this news, Great-Grandfather had shouted, “The gods have
returned! I will make Lady Rozemyne the next aub!”—only to then break into a
coughing fit and end up bedridden. Still, none were against helping a blood
relative become the next aub, and Giebe Leisegang once again got to work
organizing the Leisegangs over winter socializing.

“Incidentally, Grandfather’s wish amounted to nothing when you and Lord
Wilfried were engaged,” the giebe continued. “And with a Leisegang due to
become the wife of the next archduke, it felt as though history was simply about
to repeat itself.”

Ehrenfest was climbing higher up the duchy rankings each year, and now,
duchies that had previously never looked our way were giving us their attention.
Great-Grandfather had thus assumed that another archduke candidate from a
greater duchy would once again come into the picture and force me from my
position as the future first wife—that I would end up suffering in spite of
everything I did to improve and bring wealth to Ehrenfest. His own prediction
outraged him, and the hatred that he felt for Lady Gabriele and the aub of the
time was instead directed at Wilfried and Sylvester.

In order to avoid a repeat of such a great tragedy, Great-Grandfather was set
on ensuring that I become the next aub, no matter what. Some say that people
grow more stubborn as they age, but on top of that, he was mostly bedridden,
stuck in his own personal echo chamber, blind to the changes of the outside
world. To me, it seemed that he was getting too carried away, but many of the
older Leisegangs apparently still empathized with him.

“Grandfather’s fall from grace is the reason that his hatred for Ahrensbach
runs so deep,” Giebe Leisegang explained. “Can you and Lord Wilfried cleanse
those dark feelings inside him?”

Wilfried was on the receiving end of a very challenging look from the giebe,
but he merely shrugged without looking too bothered. “The most I can do is
meet and speak with him; I don’t know about cleansing any dark feelings. I can
assure you, though—I have no intention of allowing such a tragic history to

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repeat itself.”
“Thank you.”
That’s nice and all, but... “cleanse” his hatred...? All of a sudden, he sounds

like an evil spirit or something.
In the end, we scheduled a date for us to meet with Great-Grandfather. It was

agreed that we should see him before we were due to become busy with Spring
Prayer work, and with that, Giebe Leisegang turned to his attendants.

“Speaking of Spring Prayer,” I said, “does Leisegang hold the same kind of
ceremony as Haldenzel?” I was aware that many giebes wanted to recreate the
Haldenzel Miracle in their own provinces.

Giebe Leisegang shook his head. “Leisegang has lost its stage, so we cannot
do as Haldenzel does.”

“Does this mean that Leisegang is one of the provinces that destroyed
theirs?” I asked, frowning a little as I recalled the various problems that had
arisen after I opened the bible to look for instructions on how to make the stage.

“No,” the giebe replied with a wry smile. “We did not destroy ours; we truly
lost it at some point amid our long history.”

Leisegang had frequently changed its base of operations while establishing
and growing its farmland. They had no records of their distant past, nor did they
know where they had originally been situated, so they couldn’t even confirm
whether or not the stage was destroyed.

“Are you okay with that?” I asked.
“The speed at which the snow melts can mean life or death to northern
provinces such as Haldenzel. That is why the northern giebes despair over their
stages being destroyed. Leisegang is in the south, however, and the snow has
very little impact on our harvest.”
It seemed that the magic circle for summoning spring wasn’t very relevant
down here. At most, having the snow melt earlier than usual was a pleasant
bonus that would increase their harvest a little.
“Your chalices will more than suffice, Lady Rozemyne,” Giebe Leisegang
concluded. “This year, we will once again be able to fulfill our duties as
Ehrenfest’s breadbasket.”

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Visiting Great-Grandfather

“Lady Rozemyne,” Brunhilde said, “it is time to visit Great-Grandfather.”
“Brunhilde, Leonore, Hartmut, Cornelius...” I muttered, addressing my
archnoble retainers one by one. “We all share the same great-grandfather, I see.
It feels strange to actually say it.”
“All nobles are connected by blood in some way or another,” Cornelius said
with a shrug. “Great-Grandfather certainly likes to moan about Lady Veronica’s
family, but Lord Wilfried and Lady Charlotte have archducal blood. In other
words, though it may not be particularly thick, they have Leisegang blood as
well.”
Leonore gave a small giggle. “But to Great-Grandfather, the thickness of the
blood matters more than anything. That is why he so fervently wishes for you to
become the next aub, Lady Rozemyne.”
“As my retainers, are you not dissatisfied that I don’t strive for the archducal
seat?” I asked. Their response came in the form of a collective shrug—and their
eyes all seemed to say that it was simply the safest option.
“I believe it would be best for you to do as you like, Lady Rozemyne,”
Brunhilde said with reinvigorating warmth. “As your attendant, I will strive to
support you such that the trends you birth bring riches to Ehrenfest. Attempting
to change your course would surely prove fruitless anyway.”
“She’s right,” Hartmut agreed with a nod. “No matter what you do, Lady
Rozemyne, I shall strive to ensure that all see you for the saint you are. You may
rest easy knowing that I will allow no mistake on your part to sully your good
name.” He delivered this promise with a dashing smile, but for some mysterious
reason, it made me feel exceedingly uneasy.
Our conversation continued as I traveled down the hall in Lessy, and soon
enough, we saw Wilfried and Charlotte waiting up ahead.
“Wilfried, Charlotte, my apologies for the wait,” I said. “Given your pensive
expressions, I assume you two must be contemplating something.”
“I thought that earning the Leisegangs’ aid was going to be a serious
challenge, since Grandmother raised me and her blood runs through my veins,
but Giebe Leisegang made it sound as though the most I need to do is convince

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your great-grandfather,” Wilfried explained. “We were just talking about that.”
Charlotte rested a troubled hand on her cheek. “Yes, but... I cannot imagine

for the life of me what... series of words... or actions... would calm the former
Giebe Leisegang’s wrath. Do you have any ideas, Sister?”

“Not at all,” I said, then gestured for us to continue toward Great-
Grandfather’s room. “I can only do what I did with Giebe Leisegang: express my
thoughts and intentions in person, rather than through a messenger.”

No matter how much Great-Grandfather wished for me to become the next
aub, it wasn’t something I intended to do. In fact, as a former commoner, it
wasn’t even possible for me. The most I could do was ask him to give up on his
dreams.

“Great-Grandfather’s feelings of rage and animosity are his own to deal
with,” I continued. “It was never my aim to do anything about them. I will
simply be informing him that I do not wish to become the next aub, and that is
all.”

“I’m impressed that you can be so nonchalant about these things. If you, the
Leisegangs’ beacon of hope, make such a bold declaration to his face, I’m
worried that he might just travel to the distant heights.”

I thought back to the traumatizing sight of Great-Grandfather collapsing right
in front of me. “That would be problematic indeed... I certainly won’t be
revealing that I would rather be a second wife for the sake of more free time—
assuming that this lower position wouldn’t stop me from getting involved in the
printing industry and creating my own library.”

“Not even I knew that!” Wilfried barked.
“It’s the truth, though.”
“Sister,” Charlotte interjected, “the Leisegangs would never accept that.”
“Which is why I usually never mention it. It does rear its head from time to
time, though.”
Both of my siblings let out heavy sighs. “Just watch what you say here,”
Wilfried warned. “We don’t want him ascending to the distant heights partway
through our meeting.”
“Indeed.”
We arrived at the side building where Great-Grandfather was staying and
were escorted inside. I expected to see him lying in bed, but he was properly
dressed and seated in a chair in the large, ornate room. The fact that he looked
more energetic than last year might not have been my imagination.
“Ah! Aah! Lady Rozemyne! Welcome to Leisegang! It must be by the grace

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of the gods that we are once again given the opportunity to meet!”
Great-Grandfather rejoiced with almost comical exaggeration at my arrival,

but he didn’t even acknowledge Wilfried and Charlotte. His attendant lightly
tapped him on the shoulder, but he swatted the hand away with annoyance.

“I am with my siblings as well,” I said. “They are Wilfried and Charlotte.
Can you see them, Great-Grandfather?”

He blinked rapidly and squinted, as if only just noticing them. “When one
reaches my age, their eyes truly begin to fail them. And you are sparkling so
brightly that everything around you is that much harder to see, Lady Rozemyne.
My apologies.”

Great-Grandfather went on to greet both Wilfried and Charlotte, but he never
actually looked at them. It was impossible to say whether he really couldn’t see
them or was deliberately averting his gaze.

We were offered seats, then tea and sweets were brought in. Great-
Grandfather wasn’t able to test for poison himself, it seemed, as his attendant
took on the duty in his stead.

Once it was proven that our refreshments were safe to consume, the tea party
began. Great-Grandfather lavished my recipes with praise and said in high spirits
that, thanks to Hugo tutoring his chefs during Lamprecht’s wedding ceremony,
his meals here had improved dramatically. He was especially fond of pound
cake, as it was soft and easy to eat.

“One can even taste the season by having pound cake mixed with a little fruit
juice,” Charlotte noted.

“Taste the season, hm? That certainly is an idea...” Great-Grandfather said.
He closed his eyes and then started to tell us about the seasonal fruits and
vegetables farmed in Leisegang.

“Giebe Leisegang Emeritus, there is something I must say as well,” Wilfried
announced when the mood turned peaceful... but Great-Grandfather didn’t
respond at all. His eyes were still closed, and he was perfectly still, so it was
hard to tell whether he was pretending not to hear or had actually fallen asleep.
He was a tough foe indeed. Just getting him to listen was a struggle.

“Great-Grandfather! Great-Grandfather!” I called.
“Oh! Yes, Rozemyne?” he asked, appearing to jerk awake before unsteadily
turning to face me.
“Can you hear me?” I asked.
“Indeed, indeed. I can hear your exceptionally adorable voice.”
So he was just pretending not to hear Wilfried, then. No helping that. I’ll just

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have to be the one to talk.
“I cannot become the next aub, nor do I wish to,” I said, going straight for the

most important point.
Great-Grandfather sat still for a moment, then he slowly raised a hand and

cupped it behind his ear. “Hrm? Aah, my apologies... To think my ears are in
such a state that I would miss even your precious voice, Lady Rozemyne. I am
profoundly ashamed...”

“Great-Grandfather, I cannot become the next aub,” I repeated. “Nor do I
wish to become the next aub.”

“AIEEEEEEEEE!”
All of a sudden, Great-Grandfather let out a bizarre cry. He then collapsed
onto the table, where he remained completely motionless.
Did... Did he just up and die?!
“Wh... What?!” I sputtered.
“EEEEEEK!” Charlotte cried.
“This is why I told you to choose your words carefully!” Wilfried snapped.
“You were too blunt!”
As we all floundered over Great-Grandfather’s abrupt collapse, his retainer
stepped forward. “Please calm down,” he said. “This is nothing out of the
ordinary. He became a little too excited, but he will soon regain consciousness.
You may enjoy your tea until then.”
“So you say, but...”
It was hard to relax in a situation like this. I glanced around nervously and
saw that Wilfried was surprisingly calm.
“This is usual, huh?” he remarked. “Still pretty bad for the heart.”
“Wilfried, how can you be so at ease?!” I exclaimed.
He raised an eyebrow at me and said, “Because I’m used to you collapsing
out of nowhere all the time. I mean, look. Your retainers are even calmer.”
“What?”
It was true—Brunhilde and Ottilie were already refreshing our tea while
Great-Grandfather’s attendants prepared to carry him to bed so that they could
start attending to him.
“When you pass out at tea parties, I always have to do what those attendants
are doing now. Consoling the guests, cleaning up after your mess...” Wilfried
explained. “How do you feel, Charlotte? This is your first time seeing someone
collapse in front of you like this, right?”
“I... I am fine. I will need to get used to this sooner or later,” Charlotte

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replied, her voice quavering. Her face was pale as she watched Great-
Grandfather being taken away.

“You do not need to get used to this, Lady Charlotte,” Brunhilde said. “We
attendants have many countermeasures in place to prevent Lady Rozemyne from
collapsing.” She poured me another cup of tea, which I sipped at while watching
Great-Grandfather’s retainers try to wake him.

“Now, now. Wake up. You are in the middle of a tea party with Lady
Rozemyne.”

“Mnnn...”
It was some time before Great-Grandfather regained consciousness, but when
he did, he was instantly raring to go. His recovery was unusually quick, based on
my own experiences, and I started to suspect that he had used a secret technique.
Ultimate Move: Play Dead.
Great-Grandfather coughed a few times. “My sincere apologies.”
“Giebe Leisegang Emeritus,” Wilfried said, “there is not much more I need to
say.”
“Guh!”
And so, we ended up in a peculiar cycle: I would speak to Great-Grandfather,
then he would collapse almost immediately after. This apparent farce continued
maybe five times. His retainers made no attempt to intervene, so our
conversation advanced slowly but surely.
“Mm... My sincere apologies.”
“Great-Grandfather. I see you have awoken again,” I said. “Now, where were
we?”
“You had just mentioned that the king acknowledged your engagement,”
Hartmut answered in an instant. I praised my excellent retainer, then moved to
continue.
“Great-Grandfather, do you truly intend to oppose the king’s decision?” I
asked. “Surely you would never do such a thing.”
“No, of course not...” he replied. “That said, I am simply worried about your
future, Lady Rozemyne.”
“You do not need to worry, Giebe Leisegang Emeritus,” Wilfried said. “I
promise to end the Leisegangs’ struggles with Rozemyne as my first wife.”
For the very first time since we had arrived, Great-Grandfather looked
straight at Wilfried. It seemed that he had at last decided to face him instead of
continuing this unnecessary—and outright clownish—act. The atmosphere grew
cold as the hatred within him overflowed into the room, unable to be contained.

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His wrinkled smile disappeared as though he had just disposed of a mask,
leaving only emotionless features. Despite this vacant expression—no, because
of this vacant expression, the hatred that had consumed him after a lifetime of
suffering and humiliation became infinitely apparent.

Wilfried audibly swallowed. His hand resting on the table was trembling
uncontrollably. I reached out to touch it. He recoiled at first, then looked at me
and nodded. “As I am engaged to Rozemyne, I intend to do well with the
Leisegangs moving forward,” he said. “There is no falsehood in that.”

“Then what will you do if an archduke candidate from a greater duchy weds
into Ehrenfest?” Great-Grandfather asked in a scratchy voice.

“If one day I end up in the same position as the first Giebe Groschel, I will
have Father adopt my children before she comes, to secure their status as
archduke candidates.”

“The greater duchy will not be pleased about that.”
“Father has already agreed to it. He will not commit the same mistake as the
aub of the past.”
“So the aub has resolve too, then...” Great-Grandfather said quietly. His eyes
had glazed over; he seemed to be staring at Wilfried, but perhaps he was
recounting some event from his past. We waited for him to respond again, but it
was his attendant who spoke next.
“I believe that will do for today.”
We were being urged to leave, so we obliged and quietly excused ourselves. I
glanced back at Great-Grandfather one last time on my way out. He was still
staring into space, his eyes nonmoving... but for the slightest moment, I was sure
that he was weeping.

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Sitting Out the Archduke Conference

Spring Prayer was over, and our full attention was already devoted to
planning for the Archduke Conference. We held a discussion at the Italian
restaurant with Ehrenfest’s major store owners, including Benno and the
guildmaster, where we went over our findings from last year, what we had
improved since, how many merchants could feasibly be taken in, and so on. We
also settled some printing- and publishing-related details with the Plantin
Company, including the bottom lines we needed to meet. Elvira was due to
attend the Archduke Conference as a scholar of the printing industry, so we
would deliver all of this information to her, whereupon she would rewrite it from
a noble’s perspective.

After finishing our meeting with the lower-city residents, we returned to the
castle and talked things over with Sylvester.

“These are terms that Ehrenfest must not compromise on when forming our
agreement with Dunkelfelger, and these are terms that Hartmut says we can be
more flexible with,” I explained. “If we can establish this as our precedent,
future negotiations with other duchies will become that much easier.”

We had already ironed out the finer details with the Plantin Company,
including how we would manage translation royalties and the lending, printing,
and selling of any books. I would use my modern knowledge as a basis and
adjust it bit by bit to suit Yurgenschmidt’s ways.

“Furthermore,” I continued, “the Merchant’s Guild advises against forming
any new trade agreements. Ehrenfest simply does not have the capacity to accept
more merchants from other duchies.”

Last year, we had accepted eight companies from Klassenberg and eight from
the Sovereignty. We had put up our guests in high-class inns and intended to do
the same this year, but twenty companies would apparently be our limit.

“So they say, but we need to increase trade if we’re going to negotiate a
printing deal with Dunkelfelger,” Sylvester noted. He then scrunched up his face
and added, “It’s one thing to turn down others, but turning down Dunkelfelger
won’t be easy.”

“I said the same thing to the lower-city merchants,” I replied with a big nod.

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“We tried thinking of some good work-arounds, at which point Benno of the
Plantin Company suggested that we distribute new confirmation paper. This
way, we can give Dunkelfelger some of the spaces we originally would have
given to Klassenberg.”

“Wait, so we’d accept fewer merchants from Klassenberg? What’s the big
idea?”

I explained Benno’s thoughts. “As per my previous report, a Klassenberg
merchant left his daughter in Ehrenfest upon finishing his business here. She
continues to be safe thanks to the hospitality of the Plantin Company, but in
Ehrenfest, hosting someone who cannot carry out their own winter preparations
is by no means a simple matter.”

Starvation was a very serious risk in cases when the blizzard continued for
longer than expected, which was why households needed to prepare a season’s
worth of provisions and then some for each of its occupants. Hosting even one
extra person meant having to acquire a great deal more food, firewood, and the
like.

“We do not want Klassenberg to think we will provide for any merchant left
behind or that they can use such tactics to learn more about our new products,” I
said. “We must do something to ensure that the Klassenberg merchants do not
repeat their mistake, which is why Benno suggested that we limit how many
merchants they can send and decrease the number of companies we do business
with. Each merchant from Klassenberg we reject frees up a space for a merchant
from Dunkelfelger.”

We could only accommodate twenty companies this year, and if we accepted
the same number from Klassenberg and the Sovereignty as before, that would
only leave us with four slots. By bringing Klassenberg down to six slots,
however, we could accept six companies from Dunkelfelger in total. Benno had
worn a very intense smile as he suggested this; it seemed that he was finding the
Karin incident to be truly irritating.

“It is up to you, Sylvester. You may elect to have each duchy send only six
companies, or you can reduce this even further to five so that Drewanchel can be
included as well. Ehrenfest can accept no more than twenty, but you may fill
those spaces as you please.”

“Alright,” Sylvester eventually said. “I’ll give it some thought.”
Our upper limit was so low because Ehrenfest’s lower city only had so much
space. As it stood, no other cities could accommodate our visitors—but we
hoped to remedy this by fixing them up.

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“Is Groschel still not ready?” I asked. “We would have far more leeway if
other cities could house the merchants as well.”

“They’ve petitioned for entwickelns, but these things don’t happen fast.”
“I see. In that case, what if we sell the production method for rinsham at a
high price, to cover for how little trade we can accommodate? Doing this will
impact our duchy’s long-term profits far less than if we reveal how to make plant
or identification paper. Besides, Drewanchel already seems to be researching our
rinsham at length.”
We wanted to spread as many trends as we could, and it was ideal for us to
prepare our cities, develop trade, and increase foot traffic as quickly as possible.
The issue was that Ehrenfest wasn’t yet used to receiving visitors from other
duchies, and this was causing a mountain of problems. To be frank, it was all but
impossible for us to fully develop our trade right away.
“There’s no way that Ehrenfest can produce enough rinsham to supply all of
Yurgenschmidt, and the rising cost of vegetable oil is already a problem within
our own borders,” I said. “I truly believe that we are better off selling the
production method for a high price while we still can. Ehrenfest’s future is in the
printing and publishing industries, not beauty products.”
I didn’t mind surrendering rinsham to other duchies, but I wanted Ehrenfest
to monopolize printing for a while longer. Printing and publishing would always
drift toward the most populated areas—although it had started in Germany back
on Earth, it was in Venice that it had properly flourished—but I was determined
to keep our duchy at the center of them both for as long as I could.
To formulate a price for the production method, I told Sylvester the ballpark
figures based on the profits we had made so far. I also added that once other
duchies figured out the production method, its market value would plummet to
zero.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. “Anyway, what about the plan to send out
Italian restaurant chefs for the Archduke Conference?”
“I consulted the Othmar Company, and they said that they can send three
chefs without issue, considering the season. They will even be able to sell
recipes that their chefs have invented. I traded some of my recipes for theirs, and
they were quite delicious.”
After trading for Leise’s newly invented recipes, I had asked Freida if she
could somehow obtain rohres from Dunkelfelger. I explained that pound cake
with rohre tasted especially good, and they had decided to import some
alongside vize at the next opportunity.

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“I’ll think about buying new recipes later,” Sylvester said. “Right now, what
matters most is getting enough chefs ready.”

Regarding the duchies we couldn’t afford to make a deal with, our plan was
to sell them recipes and/or the rinsham production method, depending on how
much they were willing to pay. Given how many people would be trying to
make contact with Ehrenfest, we would need many chefs.

Securing more attendants was easy enough—we could always contact giebes
and scrape together more from among Ehrenfest’s nobles—but the chefs had to
be familiar with my recipes and skilled enough to earn a double thumbs-up. I
was aware that the lack of suitable chefs had proven an issue last year, which
was why I had asked Freida to put extra effort into training more. Now, we were
fully prepared.

“Charlotte might be the one flooded with proposals this year,” I said, which
made Sylvester twist his lips to show he was not amused. If we could continue to
produce trends, thereby proving that our achievements weren’t just temporary,
then it was only natural that other duchies would start wanting to form long-term
bonds with us. “If she receives enough proposals that we have the leeway to
choose between them, please try to respect her will as much as possible.”

Sylvester gave me a look as though he wanted to say something... but then
simply lowered his eyes and nodded. “Yeah.”

Our meetings continued all the way up until the day before everyone was due
to leave for the Archduke Conference. The attendants were the first to teleport,
Norbert included. As the head attendant, he would be staying at the Royal
Academy from the beginning of the conference until the end this year.

Incidentally, Melchior’s move to the northern building meant that the section
of the main building where the archducal couple lived would be completely
closed off, with everyone focusing on the Archduke Conference instead.

The next to move were the scholars and a portion of the knights. I made my
way to the teleportation hall to see them off. Hartmut, who was now an adult,
was leaving alongside Elvira as a scholar of the printing industry.

“I am Lady Rozemyne’s retainer, and I understand her feelings about books
better than anyone,” Hartmut had said to Elvira when asking to serve as her
assistant. Most printing industry scholars were laynobles to facilitate
communication with commoners, but for the Archduke Conference, it was better
to have archnobles to make negotiations with other duchies run more smoothly.
Elvira had said that having an archnoble like Hartmut would prove very helpful.

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“Thank you for assisting Mother,” I said. “I trust that you will carry out your
work as skillfully as always.”

“I shall strive to meet your expectations, Lady Rozemyne.”
“With such detailed documents at hand, we will be more than fine,” Elvira
said. “I, too, am very much invested in the publishing of new books. You may
trust us both, Lady Rozemyne.”
This year’s negotiations would predominantly involve Ehrenfest purchasing
love stories from other duchies to print in Haldenzel. Elvira was motivated, so
yeah, it was surely fine to trust her.
Last to leave was the archducal couple. I said my farewells to Karstedt, who
was serving as their guard knight, while Wilfried, Charlotte, and Melchior said
their farewells to the archducal couple.
“We’re trusting all of you with the Mana Replenishment while we’re gone,”
Sylvester said.
“Yes, Father. I will practice a lot,” Melchior replied with a nod and a smile.
His response earned a chuckle from his two siblings.
“I cannot imagine you will get too many opportunities, Melchior,” Charlotte
noted. “Back when I first participated in Mana Replenishment, I could not even
move for some time afterward.”
“Just focus on learning to use a little more mana each time,” Wilfried added.
Upon hearing these warnings, Melchior looked up at his parents with worry
in his eyes. They both agreed that he shouldn’t push himself, which only made
him tense up even more.
“Everything will be fine if you listen to Bonifatius. Oh, and Ferdinand—
make sure you don’t force them to meet your own crazy standards,” Sylvester
said, warning Ferdinand against falling into his usual Spartan habits. These were
his parting words to us, as he headed to the teleportation hall with everyone else
immediately after.
“Rozemyne,” Ferdinand said, “as you are going to be balancing two courses
from this year onward, you would do well to study as much as you can. You will
cease to have time to socialize once you return for the Dedication Ritual.” And
with that, my fate was sealed. My days in the castle this year were to be spent
studying for my third-year lessons.
“Ferdinand, were you not just told that you shouldn’t hold us to your crazy
standards?” I asked.
“These are not my standards but yours. There is no problem.”
Ferdinand sure is an expert at spitting sophistry with a straight face, isn’t

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he?
The scholar course’s written lessons wouldn’t be a problem, since I already

knew the content. My concerns were about the archduke candidate course, which
was said to be much tougher.

Charlotte’s eyes widened when she heard that I was going to be studying for
the archduke candidate course. “Uncle,” she said, “I would like to learn
alongside Sister.”

“Me too,” Wilfried added. “I can’t study for the archduke candidate course
on my own, since I don’t have any study materials.”

Ferdinand stared at them for a moment, seemingly as surprised as I was;
neither of us had expected that Wilfried and Charlotte would want to study as
well. It was only after tapping his temples in thought for a moment that he
offered a response.

“The goal of these studies is for Rozemyne to finish her classes in time for
the Dedication Ritual, and I have no intention of teaching either of you content
that she already knows. If you end up falling behind, then you will simply have
to watch. You may attend the lessons if you agree to those terms.”

Wilfried and Charlotte were overjoyed to have received this approval—and
their bright expressions weren’t lost on Melchior, who earnestly said, “I want to
join too, Uncle.”

I would have approved my little brother’s participation in a heartbeat, but
Ferdinand didn’t like his plans being interfered with. Wilfried and Charlotte
were manageable, since he had spent several years with them already and knew
how well they would listen to his instructions, but Melchior was more or less a
fresh face. Ferdinand gazed down at him, his brows drawn together in a frown.

“I promise to be quiet and not get in anyone’s way,” Melchior added.
“You will be removed the very instant you break that promise,” Ferdinand
replied. He spoke without the slightest trace of warmth... but he had still given
his permission.
Melchior cheered with everyone, openly elated. Seeing his innocent
celebrations brought a smile to my face, but Ferdinand just heaved a frustrated
sigh. The fact that he had conceded to the idea despite how annoying he
evidently found it showed just how much his stony heart had softened.
The old Ferdinand would have rejected Melchior on the spot and said that
allowing him to participate was a waste of time, for sure.
Retainers weren’t allowed to be present for our archduke candidate course
study classes in the castle, in the same way that they weren’t allowed to attend

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our classes in the Royal Academy. We each had one of our guard knights stand
at the door, while Ferdinand dispersed the rest until fourth bell, asserting that
they would be in the way otherwise.

“That reminds me—who are the professors for the archduke candidate course
when archduke candidates can’t move to the Sovereignty?” I asked. It was even
more of a burning question now that we were in a classroom of only archduke
candidates. “Do the lessons even have professors?”

Ferdinand, who had been preparing the usual feystones, narrowed his eyes as
he thought back on his own experiences. “In my day, it was a royal—that, or a
former archduke candidate married to royalty. At the time, there were many who
could fulfill the role of professor... but now, I am not so sure.”

As we were aware, the civil war had resulted in a drastic reduction in the
number of royals. It seemed that not even Ferdinand knew who would be
teaching us.

“You will see for yourself when you go to the Royal Academy,” Ferdinand
concluded. “For now, let us begin by separating the elements of mana. You will
not be able to move on to archduke candidate practical lessons until you are able
to do this.”

Apparently, separating mana like this was something that all third-years were
taught to do. One would divide it according to its elements and then reform it.

“As you know, it is easiest to control mana for which you have an aptitude,”
Ferdinand said. He went on to explain that most laynobles didn’t have many
elements in their mana, which made splitting and fusing it quite the challenge.
That said, those with only a single element could quite easily separate it from
given bits of mana.

“Archnobles and archduke candidates, in contrast, have many elements,”
Ferdinand continued. “They often find it easy to combine mana of their elements
once taught how to, but they have great difficulty removing elements from their
own mana, which is normally mixed within them at all times.”

Feystones of each element were prepared for us, and we touched them one by
one to understand the feeling of pulling mana of a singular element. We were
then tasked with making a feystone while trying to keep the mana of separate
elements from mixing.

“If you learn to control your mana freely, then you will be able to fill an
empty feystone with mana of a pure, singular element,” Ferdinand said. “The
especially dexterous will even be able to replace the element of a feystone
entirely. Separating elements from feystones acquired from fey creatures will

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also become a trivial matter.”
I touched the feystone I was provided with and got to work separating the

elements of my mana, but when I showed my attempt to Ferdinand...
“They are mixed. Do it again.”
The three of us received the same disheartening response over and over

again. Charlotte was the first to tap out, as she was the least used to controlling
her mana. She had also only recently learned to use mana compression, which
meant she had the smallest capacity of us all. Wilfried was trying his best, but he
also dropped out once he started feeling sick.

“Drink a rejuvenation potion and recover your mana,” Ferdinand instructed.
“There is Mana Replenishment to be carried out after dinner.”

Wilfried mumbled something in response while reaching for a rejuvenation
potion on his belt.

“You presumably have mana to spare, Rozemyne,” Ferdinand said. “Focus.”
I focused on my feystone, while Ferdinand glared at me. The task he had
given us was surprisingly hard, since controlling one’s elements felt nothing like
controlling one’s mana in general.
Maybe I can base this on an established method for separating a mixed
substance, I thought, racking my brain for ideas. The clearer a visual one had,
the easier it was to control one’s mana. Separation... Separation... A centrifuge,
maybe? Oh! Back in high school, we learned about paper chromatography
during biology! Can I use that knowledge here?
In the end, I decided to swing my hand around and picture the elements going
into different fingers.
“Rozemyne, what is that hand motion?” Ferdinand asked.
“My way of visualizing the separation process. I’m separating my mana
while doing this.”
“It is... unsightly.”
Ferdinand thought very little of my idea, but I didn’t care; it ended up
working like a charm.

Mana Replenishment was performed after dinner, though it seemed to have
been quite a struggle. Charlotte was just going to be sitting and watching any of
our practical lessons that required mana from tomorrow onward, though she
would participate fully in any that didn’t.

“Once you have learned to separate and combine mana, what comes next is
neutralizing feystones with mana and turning them to gold dust,” Ferdinand said.

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“Of course, as you have mistakenly done this countless times already,
Rozemyne, there is no need for me to teach you. We shall instead move on to
practicing entwickeln.”

Ferdinand was holding a small box containing the kind of feystones used for
foundational magic. In class, students were tasked with using them to create a
miniature city—but in order to accomplish that, one first needed to draw a
blueprint of sorts.

“In practice, the most common approach is to use existing buildings and
make only small changes to them,” Ferdinand said. “One cannot risk failing
when it comes to a large-scale effort such as creation magic. Not to mention,
trying to prepare blueprints from scratch is an exhausting endeavor.”

One could always have scholars help with the blueprints, but it was
absolutely crucial that an archduke be knowledgeable enough to identify any
potential errors. Thus, we were all made to practice drawing them together. Our
first task was to make our ideal room.

“I’m good at blueprints,” Wilfried crowed as he eagerly got to work. He was
presumably designing something from scratch, whereas Charlotte intended to
recreate her existing room in excruciating detail. Melchior was holding his pen
with a smile, but given how shaky his lines were, his attempt probably wouldn’t
function as a room.

My ideal room, hm?
The first thing that came to mind was a room with bookcases on every wall
and an abundance of reading material on every shelf—my own personal library
from my Urano days. It reminded me of my inglorious death back then, and I
couldn’t help but groan. It was weird just thinking about it.
“Rozemyne, is this truly that difficult for you?” Ferdinand asked.
“The first room I envisioned was overflowing with books,” I replied, “but
then I imagined them all tumbling down and crushing me to death, which made
me question whether it truly is ideal...”
“In any case, complete the blueprint in time for our lesson tomorrow.”
Ferdinand dismissed my agonizing with a cold remark and set the question as
my homework. This brought us all the way up to fourth bell, which marked the
end of our class for the day.
We all made our way to the dining hall for lunch. Bonifatius was surely
struggling as he dealt with the office all on his own, but he was helping out
anyway. As we ate, he said that not offering his assistance would have been
shameful, especially when I was coming first-in-class while doing temple work

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on top of everything else.
“I will strive to meet your expectations, Grandfather.”
Even while eating lunch, my head was filled with thoughts of a book-filled

room. My top priority had to be ensuring that the books wouldn’t fall from their
shelves during an earthquake. Everything else could come later.

As I continued to mull things over, the door to the dining hall opened. It
seemed that we had a visitor. “Lord Ferdinand, there has been an urgent
summons from the Archduke Conference,” the messenger said. “Please head to
the Royal Academy at once.”

Our preparations for the Archduke Conference had been severely lacking last
year, but even then, none of us had received a summons. Ferdinand appeared
gravely serious as he quickly finished his meal, while Justus instructed the
attendant and the knights with him.

“Bonifatius, if you will excuse me, I must depart. I leave the rest to you.”
“Go on. I’ll take care of them.”
Ferdinand exited the dining hall at a brisk walk. It was unusual to see him in
such a rush, and I could hear the drone of urgent conversation outside the room
after he went. My heart pounded in my chest; his harsh expression had somehow
resembled the one he had made when facing down the Sovereign knight
commander in the Royal Academy’s library, which made me feel even more
uneasy than I could put into words.
Apparently, Ferdinand returned the same night he was summoned. Our
lessons continued the next day as though nothing had happened, and seeing his
usual stony face in all its expressionless glory made me sigh in relief. It was a
quiet sigh, of course; I didn’t want to risk him hearing me.
“So, why did you get summoned yesterday?” I asked.
“It does not matter. It is over,” Ferdinand replied, but he was clearly more
displeased than usual.
Our lesson continued, but the atmosphere was exceedingly tense. Melchior
seemed to be a little frightened by the intensity that Ferdinand exuded, while
Wilfried was wearing a stiff expression, trying to gauge how our teacher was
feeling.
Eventually, it came time for us to have lunch. Bonifatius must have had
exactly the same thought as me when he saw what an absolute state Ferdinand
was in, as he asked, “Ferdinand, what incident brought you to the Archduke
Conference yesterday?”
“It is over.”

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“It does not seem ‘over’ to me,” Bonifatius replied with a glare. “Something
is weighing on you, I assume. Spit it out.”

Ferdinand sighed. “Ahrensbach has petitioned the king for a male archduke
candidate of adult or near adult age to be married into their duchy.”

“Wait, what?” I asked. “Would they be marrying Lady Detlinde?”
“Who else?” Ferdinand asked, fixing me with a stern look that made me shut
my mouth at once. He had a good point—Ahrensbach only had two archduke
candidates. One was Detlinde, and the other was a little girl called Letizia, who
was too young to even be attending the Royal Academy.
“They requested it, but we declined for several reasons,” Ferdinand
continued. “My absence would leave Ehrenfest with even fewer adult archducal
family members; I am your guardian; my relationship with Veronica... No
woman from Ahrensbach would make for an equal trade, as there are none who
can take my place and work as a representative archduke.”
It seemed that Sylvester had valiantly fought against Ahrensbach’s archducal
couple and refused their petition. In response, they had expressed their suspicion
that Ferdinand was still suffering from Veronica’s grudge against him, since he
was continuing to serve in the temple.
“Georgine ultimately asked for me to share my stance in person, as she
thought it obvious that I would rather be married to the next aub of a greater
duchy than continue serving as the High Priest against my supposed will in
Ehrenfest.”
So, that was why Ferdinand was summoned.
“But you aren’t serving as the High Priest against your will, are you?”
“Hence why I am saying the matter is over.”
This response calmed me down... but several days later, Ferdinand was
summoned again, this time by the king. I saw him off, sympathizing with his
struggle of getting dragged to and fro. He shook his head with exasperation and
stepped onto the teleporter to the Royal Academy.

“He’s been gone a lot longer than last time...” I mused aloud. “Has he gotten
caught up in something?”

Two days had passed since Ferdinand had been summoned, but he still hadn’t
returned. We couldn’t continue our preparatory lessons for the archduke
candidate course without him, so I was being made to practice sewing for my
bridal training and focus on my harspiel practice. To be honest, studying for my
practical lessons sounded way more preferable.

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“Rihyarda, could Grandfather not teach me?” I asked.
“Lord Bonifatius has his own work to do as the acting archduke,” she replied.
“He does not have time to spend on your extracurricular lessons.” The duchy’s
key scholars were going to the Archduke Conference, and there weren’t many
scholars staying behind in general, so he was apparently in quite a rough
situation.
“I shall assist him, then.”
“You cannot fool me, milady. You are making the same face that Lord
Sylvester makes when attempting to escape his duties.”
Eep. She saw right through me.
I had no hope of deceiving Rihyarda when she had spent decades honing her
eyes and keeping Sylvester, a regular offender, from running away yet again. In
other words, I would need to rely on a more direct attack.
“Rihyarda, I would rather read than sew, even if the book is not an enjoyable
one. I just want to prepare for my next year at the Royal Academy. Please do
allow me to read.”
“Lady Rozemyne has to leave partway through the term for the Dedication
Ritual, so she needs to study at every opportunity,” Philine and Roderick added,
trying to back me up. “Also bear in mind that she’s taking both the scholar
course and the archduke course next year.”
Rihyarda shot the idea down with a stern expression. “She finished studying
for the scholar course at the Royal Academy, if you recall, and studying for the
archduke candidate course is on hold until my boy Ferdinand returns. Tell me,
what will she even be preparing for?”
I slumped my shoulders. Rihyarda had an unrivaled understanding of all my
activities in the Royal Academy, meaning I had no choice but to continue my
embroidering.

Bonifatius joined us for dinner, as per usual. He looked exhausted, maybe
because he was having to shoulder all the work alone without Ferdinand here to
help.

“Grandfather, are you doing okay on your own?” I asked. “I can always help
out, if you like.”

“No, no. There’s no need to worry. I am fine,” Bonifatius replied, dismissing
the idea with a wave. Then, he looked up with a start. “Hrm... Wait. I... I see.
You would help me, Rozemyne?”

“Yes. I assist Ferdinand with his work in the temple, and Sylvester in the

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winter, so I do believe I can be of at least some help to you.”
“Rozemyne, you’ve been helping Father in the winter?” Wilfried asked,

staring at me in surprise. I explained the situation to him—that I had been
summoned back to Ehrenfest quite some time before the Dedication Ritual and
had assisted Sylvester in the interim—at which point he turned to Bonifatius
with determined eyes. “Lord Bonifatius, I would like to help as well. At this rate,
Rozemyne will take all the archduke work for herself.”

“Worry not—I shall do nothing of the sort,” I replied. “In fact, I would prefer
that you take my share of archduke duties as well. My ultimate aim is to read,
not work—do take care to remember that.”

In any case, I didn’t expect them to have the leeway to educate Wilfried
when they were already suffering from a lack of manpower. I watched as
Bonifatius fell into thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Very well, then,” Bonifatius said. “If you’re to be the next archduke, then
you’ll need to learn this work sooner rather than later. Sylvester struggled a great
deal due to his father passing away while he was still so young.” He had very
deftly omitted the fact that Sylvester’s struggle was mostly related to his
tendency to shy away from his work.

Wilfried was motivated, so it was decided that he and his scholars would all
help out as well. Bonifatius was confident that having adult scholars on board
would ensure that the process went smoothly.

“I admire your willingness to train a successor while you’re so busy yourself,
Grandfather,” I said. “I cannot help but view you in contrast to Ferdinand, who
immediately cuts off anyone he deems to be useless.”

Ferdinand was still quite new to the idea of training successors. He had
started off with Kampfer and Frietack in the temple, but even then, he tended to
do all the work on his own, since it was much faster. There was no way he
would take the time to teach a kid while caught up in such an extremely busy
period.

“I see. So you admire me, huh?” Bonifatius muttered, nodding to himself
again and again with a broad grin.

Melchior raised a clenched fist into the air and said, “I want to help too!”
“I understand that you wish to join us,” Charlotte interjected, “but you are
still too young to help Lord Bonifatius.”
Upon hearing this, Melchior slumped over in disappointment. “I know that
I’ll only slow things down, but I want to be with all of you...”
“I am sure there are some things that Melchior can help with,” I said.

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Charlotte let out a sigh. “Sister, it will take you and Lord Bonifatius quite
some time just to find work for him to do. Melchior, please sit this one out. In
return, you may study in the corner of the office. I will sit nearby to ensure that
you do not interfere. Will that suffice?”

I was moved—Charlotte had put forward precisely the kind of solution that a
big sister would come up with to help her little brother after living with him for
such a long time. I was a fake in comparison; I tried to grant Melchior’s wishes
in any way that I could, but Charlotte actually acknowledged and respected the
feelings behind them, even when she refused him. When it came to our big sister
power levels, she was miles above me.

“I accept this,” Bonifatius said. “Study well, son.”
“Sir!” Melchior replied happily.
Charlotte watched on with a warm smile that reminded me of the one that so
often graced Florencia’s lips. It left no room for doubt that they were mother and
daughter.

We started helping Bonifatius in the afternoon the very next day. We had
spent the morning focused on our studies, and after finishing my harspiel and
dedication whirl practice, I headed straight to the archduke’s office. Our
presence would probably make things harder to begin with, so I needed to
delegate the workloads as much as I could in the morning.

“This work here can be done by Wilfried, this by Charlotte, this by Melchior,
and this by me and my retainers,” I said. “As for this work, I am afraid you will
need to do it yourself, Grandfather. Of course, Charlotte and Melchior are only
here to study today, but as their scholars are present as well, do not hesitate to
distribute work to them.”

Bonifatius’s eyes widened at the now-organized mountain of paperwork.
“You know what level of work their retainers are capable of doing?” he asked.

“Not exactly,” I replied. “I only know the ability of the apprentice scholars
I’ve seen working in the Royal Academy. I intend to use today to gauge how the
others do, and if they perform well, we may trust them with more work from
tomorrow onward.”

I didn’t really know how much work Wilfried’s scholars could be trusted
with, so the pile for my retainers was taller than any other. Considering how fast
my retinue worked in the temple, however, I was fairly confident that they could
have this workload finished by the end of the day.

Once the work was distributed among archduke candidates, I started

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distributing mine among my retainers. “These are for Roderick, these are for
Philine, these are also for Philine, these are for Roderick, these are for
Damuel...”

“Wait, Rozemyne,” Bonifatius said. “Was that not a knight’s name?”
“Hm? Yes, but I don’t see that as an issue; all of my knights, save for
Angelica, do the work of scholars in the temple. Erm... Or is that a problem in
the castle?”
Damuel wasn’t the only knight capable of doing scholar work—Cornelius,
Leonore, and Judithe all helped out in the High Priest’s office when I was there.
“Hmm...” Bonifatius frowned. “There’s no precedent for using knights as
scholars, but it shouldn’t be an issue during the Archduke Conference. Given the
shortage of manpower, I can’t imagine anyone protesting. We should use what
we can.” He had a surprisingly flexible attitude, and my affection points for him
were shooting up.
“I am glad that we get to work together, Grandfather.”
We all spent the afternoon doing our work, but the archduke’s office wasn’t
big enough to hold Bonifatius, Wilfried, Charlotte, Melchior, me, and all of our
retainers at once. For this reason, we moved to a meeting room and worked there
instead. Charlotte was busy watching Melchior practice math.
Bonifatius turned to Melchior’s retainers and said, “If you all do your work
properly, Melchior will not feel so useless. Your tasks today are for the sake of
your lord. Do them well.”
It wasn’t long before Charlotte’s and Melchior’s retainers were delving into
their paperwork for the day. Bonifatius was instructing Wilfried’s scholars as
they continued their work.
“Now then, I suppose we should begin as well,” I said.
“Do we really have to do scholar work here too?” Cornelius asked with a
grimace. “The other guard knights are either standing behind their archduke
candidate or guarding the door, like Angelica.”
“There is only a manpower shortage during the Archduke Conference,” I
replied. “Lord Bonifatius said that he will allow this.”
My retainers had so much more work to do than anyone else, but we got
through it much faster because my guard knights were helping and we were all
so used to the process from our experience in the temple. The other scholars
were having to learn new things to get the work done.
“I have finished this, Lady Rozemyne,” Leonore said. “May I ask you to look
it over?”

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“Is the math here correct?” Judithe asked.
“This part... Hm, the flow of money doesn’t seem quite right. We should
investigate it carefully,” Damuel said, having discovered what seemed to be
embezzlement. We ultimately decided to wait until Sylvester and the others got
back before looking into it any further.
At fifth bell, we took an extended break and enjoyed the tea and sweets that
our attendants brought in for us.
“You’re all so amazing. I want to be useful soon too...” Melchior said,
looking at me with respect in his eyes while eating a sweet. Receiving such
praise from my little brother really did warm my heart. I needed to keep up the
hard work now and forever.
“Ferdinand certainly is putting your knights through their paces at the temple,
huh?” Bonifatius asked. “To be honest, I never thought knights could manage to
do scholar work so effectively.”
“Back at the Royal Academy, I kept hearing that her scholars are on another
level than mine, but I never thought her knights would be this impressive too,”
Wilfried said. Charlotte was nodding along with him.
“Lord Wilfried, it is not the duty of a knight to do paperwork. Please do not
take after Lady Rozemyne and start making unreasonable requests of us,”
Lamprecht said, eliciting a firm nod of agreement from Cornelius. “There is
much you can learn from observing how Lady Rozemyne trains her scholars, but
you should allow your knights to stick to their own duties.”
“Indeed,” Bonifatius added. “Wilfried, you must have your scholars do more
work.”
Wilfried shook his head in protest and said, “But I am. They are doing more
printing work by the day.”
It was true that printing was going to be Ehrenfest’s primary industry going
forward, but Wilfried wasn’t actually that involved with it. Out of all of our
retainers, the only one deemed fit enough to accompany Sylvester to the
Archduke Conference was Hartmut.
“If you are motivated, then I can ask Elvira to send more and more work your
way,” I said. “Most of the scholars involved in the printing industry are
laynobles, and she has been talking about wanting to have more archnobles and
mednobles to bring to future conferences. Perhaps you could train them in
preparation for next year?”
Our plan was to announce printed goods during next year’s Archduke
Conference, and chaos was bound to ensue. The more people we had there, the

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better.
“If we can send as many of our adult retainers as possible, I am sure it will

make all the difference for us in the future,” I continued. “It will also be
heartening for our retainers to have a grasp on how the Archduke Conference
functions before we must go there ourselves. I am very much looking forward to
Hartmut’s report.”

Wilfried looked over his own retainers, a competitive fire burning in his eyes.
“Alright,” he said. “I’ll make sure mine are good enough to attend the Archduke
Conference next year.”

Okay! Perfect! New recruits for the printing industry!

We got used to the new work over the next few days and soon reached the
point where we could talk casually during breaks. According to Cornelius, the
grades of the apprentice knights were steadily rising thanks to the Rozemyne
Mana Compression Method.

“Matthias is very impressive, then, for keeping up with them while working
so desperately to compress his mana on his own.”

Leonore nodded. “He can give orders in my place and possesses more mana
than average for a mednoble. We would ask you to take him as a retainer, but he
is unfortunately of the former Veronica faction,” she said with a troubled smile.
“We have been struggling to find a suitable guard knight to replace Traugott.”

“Gerlach’s son, hm?” Bonifatius asked with a grimace. “Rozemyne, no
matter how skilled this boy is, and no matter how much you might wish for his
service, you must not take him as a retainer unless he gives you his name. He is
too dangerous otherwise.”

The way that Bonifatius spoke made it sound as though he knew something
that I didn’t. I gazed at him quizzically, urging him to elaborate, but he just
shook his head and repeated that the former Veronica faction was dangerous
before changing the topic.

“More importantly—your mana compression method is something else,
Rozemyne. Well done for thinking that one up,” Bonifatius said, describing how
much progress the knights were making amid some generous words of praise.
“That layknight guard of yours”—he glanced over at Damuel—“probably
wouldn’t have lasted this long if not for that technique. He was lucky that his
growth period ended so late, and when coupled with your mana compression
method, it meant he could increase his mana capacity far more than anyone
would expect from a laynoble.”

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I seemed to recall my omega blessing being the primary reason for Damuel
making so much progress, not his late growth period, but that was a secret
between Karstedt and me.

“Is Damuel still growing?” I asked.
“No, his capacity has been relatively stagnant over the past year or two. No
matter how late it started, his growing period must have stopped by now. Of
course, that just means his vessel has stopped developing. He can keep
compressing his mana to fit more into the space he’s working with, and he can
get better at fighting by using his noggin.”
It seemed that Damuel now had the average mana capacity of a low- or mid-
tier mednoble. Considering how small it had originally been, that was a massive
upgrade.
“I wouldn’t expect any more dramatic improvements from him,” Bonifatius
continued. “The boy’s reached his peak. Knowing this, will you still use him as
your guard knight?”
I noticed Damuel tightly clench his fist out of the corner of my eye and
nodded at once. “His mana is not his main strength. If not for Damuel, my
retainers would not be anywhere near as organized as they are now. I have no
intention of relieving him of duty, whether that be now or in the future.”
“I see. Then I will continue whipping him into shape.”
Damuel met this news with a hard expression, but he would suffer even more
without Bonifatius’s training. The road ahead was going to be tough for him, so I
wanted him to keep working hard. He knew too many of my secrets; if
circumstances ever led to him being let go, there was a very real chance that
everyone around me would try to silence him for good. I didn’t want to have to
stress over that.
“Please whip the other apprentice guard knights into shape as well. They are
now coordinating more, but they still fail to understand the contribution scoring
system,” I said, explaining Judithe’s reaction to the fish slaughtering.
“I see,” Bonifatius replied. He looked over the gathered apprentice knights
with a wide grin. “Seems like I’ll need to rethink their training.”

“Grandfather, what was the Royal Academy like when you were there?” I
asked on another day. The civil war had resulted in many tremendous changes,
and things were now very different from when Ferdinand had attended. I was
wondering whether going all the way back to Bonifatius’s years would reveal
even more dissimilarities.

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I mentioned the old diary that Solange had allowed me to borrow and the
various ways that things had changed compared to when it was written. Then, I
asked Bonifatius what he remembered about his days in the Royal Academy.

“The Academy, huh?” he said. “The most I remember is people running
around for treasure-stealing ditter.”

According to Bonifatius, the scholars would desperately start making
rejuvenation potions from the very moment they learned how to—and when they
weren’t making such potions, they were creating magic tools necessary for
ditter. Attendants would focus on the information war, with some even flying
around on highbeasts to refill magic tools and the knights’ rejuvenation potions.
My initial assumption had been that Bonifatius was the type of person to charge
ahead of everyone else to strike first in battle, but as an archduke candidate, he
had instead focused on taking command and moving troops.

“Of course, I made sure to show off the power of my fists whenever the
opportunity arose,” Bonifatius made sure to note. He went on to explain that he
had been friends with archnobles from Dunkelfelger and the now-gone
Werkestock, and that he had sometimes taken the apprentice knights out hunting.
“Oh, that reminds me—I once destroyed a shrine on the Academy’s grounds in
the heat of a ditter game.”

“That’s terrible!” I exclaimed. “Wait, so is one of the Academy’s twenty
mysteries actually about you?! The one about the delinquent students who
played pranks at the shrines to the gods dotting the Royal Academy’s grounds?!”

“No, no. A story like that can’t be about me,” Bonifatius said, rushing to
defend himself. “I only broke one, and I reported it immediately. It should be
repaired by now. On a more important note, what’s this about twenty mysteries?
It’s news to me.”

I didn’t expect him to know about it, but I told him one of the twenty
mysteries I had heard from Solange. Melchior and Charlotte, among others,
listened with great interest.

“Wait, what do you mean it should be repaired by now?” I asked. “Did you
not check, Grandfather?”

“It’s not my fault. There are rarely any opportunities to return to the Royal
Academy after you graduate.”

Rihyarda chuckled as she refreshed my tea. “You mustn’t be deceptive, Lord
Bonifatius. Did you not visit the Royal Academy every year for the Archduke
Conference when serving the previous archduke as the knight commander?”

“Rihyarda!” Bonifatius exclaimed with an awkward grimace. She was about

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his age, meaning she was old enough to know his past—and his secrets.

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“I shall check on the shrine in your place then,” I said. “Do you remember
where it was?”

“Hm... I would expect it to be covered in snow during the winter. It should
only be visible during the Archduke Conference, when the grounds are clear.”

In short, I was unlikely to be able to find it while I was actually at the Royal
Academy. How unfortunate. Incidentally, I took this opportunity to ask him
whether he knew anything about the forbidden archive.

“I can’t say I recognize that name,” he replied. “I always sent scholars to get
what I needed from the library and never went there myself.”

To me, Bonifatius had always come across as something of a maverick who
would break boundaries wherever he went... but it turned out that he had been a
surprisingly ordinary archduke candidate.

“Lord Bonifatius,” Rihyarda interjected, “would it not be more accurate to
say that you rarely used the library at all?”

“Rihyarda.”
Bonifatius fell into a sullen silence. His pouty expression was admittedly
quite cute, and everyone who had been listening couldn’t help but laugh. It
turned out that it was hard to talk about your past when someone who shared that
knowledge was standing nearby.

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Report on the Archduke Conference

(Second Year)

We spent our days peacefully until, soon enough, the Archduke Conference
came to an end. Word arrived that the archducal couple’s attendants had returned
and were preparing to welcome their lord and lady. I was worried about
Ferdinand, since he hadn’t come back from his second summons, so I went to
welcome them at the teleportation circle. Wilfried, Charlotte, and Melchior were
naturally with me, excited to see their parents again.

“Father! Mother!” Melchior cried, brimming with excitement. The archducal
couple had returned. Florencia was wearing her usual smile, but Sylvester was
almost completely expressionless. He looked so stoic that it was hard to even
imagine a smile on him.

After saying our greetings, I turned to Sylvester. “Did something happen
during the conference?”

“I’ll explain during our meeting. Gah... That idiot,” Sylvester said, offering
only the briefest response. He then clicked his tongue and muttered a few crude
words about this unknown person.

“Sylvester,” Florencia said, chiding her husband. He let out a sigh, put on a
smile for the kids, and urged us out of the teleportation hall.

“Come on, now. Let’s get a move on. We need to make way for the next
teleportation,” Sylvester said. And indeed, a few moments later, the teleportation
circle flashed. It was Ferdinand.

“Welcome back, Ferdinand,” I said.
“Indeed. It is good to be back,” he replied, wearing the most brilliantly fake
smile I had ever seen in my life.

“Hartmut, did something happen to Ferdinand...?” I asked once we were back
in my room. Unfortunately, it turned out that he had only been allowed to attend
the negotiations with Dunkelfelger; he hadn’t been permitted to accompany
Ferdinand to wherever he was summoned.

“The most I saw was the aub shouting in the dormitory and Ferdinand
silently brushing him off,” Hartmut explained. “Based on the few snippets I

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overheard, I believe they received a royal decree from the king that they cannot
refuse.”

From there, Hartmut gave a report on the meeting with Dunkelfelger.
Negotiations about the royalties and translations had panned out mostly as
expected.

“Dunkelfelger’s first wife is a fearsome woman indeed,” Hartmut noted.
“Although she could not provide any details, she seemed to have deduced the
existence of printing.”

“How did she do that?”
“She examined the book that Lady Hannelore borrowed and observed that the
handwriting was so consistently neat that it couldn’t possibly have been done
with a pen. She looked at the ink surrounding the letters and noted that it differed
from what she was accustomed to from handwritten works. And as her most
impressive feat, she took the knowledge that we want to sell our books and
deduced that we have created technology capable of producing multiple copies
of the same work.”
Eep... The first wives of greater duchies sure are scary.
It had been scary enough when Drewanchel immediately deconstructed and
analyzed the trial portion of rinsham I gave them, but Dunkelfelger’s first wife
figuring out the existence of printing technology simply by looking at a book her
daughter had borrowed was absolutely terrifying.
“Now, if you will allow me to move on—Dunkelfelger’s scholars came to
understand the royalty and translation fees much quicker than our own,” Hartmut
continued, “The skill gap between our duchies was made apparent once again.”
It was not an easy task to absorb completely new ideas and concepts. In a
world where books being handwritten was not only the norm but literally the
only option, people simply could not understand the concept of paying anything
per copy of a book. It generally took quite some time for the laynobles of the
printing industry to grasp everything. Elvira, in contrast, had understood quite
quickly, as she was making the books firsthand.
“Overall, it was quite a tense meeting. There were two sharp eyes on me at
all times, trying to determine whether I am a fitting partner for Clarissa.”
Clarissa’s father had been among the guard knights, and he had spent the
entire meeting fixing Hartmut with a stern glare. Things had gotten so unnerving
that Hartmut had apparently started to worry that Clarissa’s father would
suddenly charge over and cut him down.
“The shield of Wind that you produced during the attack on the awards

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ceremony seems to have garnered quite a bit of attention,” Hartmut continued.
“It came up even during the conference.”

“You didn’t fan the flames, did you?”
“I spoke only of the legends that I have already made public. I understand
when to hold my tongue,” he replied. He had wanted to spread the more recent
legends about the first ternisbefallen hunt and the recovery of our duchy’s
gathering spot, but he had thankfully exercised some control.
“I would ask that you learn even more self-control and outright cease your
efforts to push exaggerated tall tales as saintly legends,” I said.
“That would mean limiting myself to the more restrained tales, which won’t
be quite as satisfying... but if such is your wish, Lady Rozemyne, then I shall
obey.”

Our meeting about the Archduke Conference was held the day after everyone
returned. The archducal family, their retainers, the Knight’s Order, and the
majority of the high-ranking scholars were in attendance. Wilfried, Charlotte,
and I were there as well, and we promptly took our assigned seats.

“Uncle seems to be in a good mood for once. D’you think it has something to
do with the Archduke Conference?” Wilfried asked. He was sitting next to me
and commenting on Ferdinand, who was seated almost across from us.

I had been trying to avoid looking at Ferdinand, but I eventually conceded—
and my blood immediately ran cold. His smile truly was faker than any he had
ever worn before, and that was precisely why it was so scary. I didn’t have a clue
what was going through his head or what he was so angry about.

“You must not be fooled, Wilfried. That is the expression he makes when he
is exceptionally displeased.”

“Is that so?” Charlotte asked, surprised. She was sitting on my other side.
“I’ve never seen him smile like that before, though...” Wilfried said, looking
between Ferdinand and me with suspicion.
“He can disguise most emotions beneath an expressionless mask, but when
he gets very angry or is in especially great pain, he overcompensates with the
most exaggerated smile so that those around him cannot detect how he truly
feels.”
“Rozemyne,” Ferdinand called, deepening his smile before raising a hand to
cover his mouth. I understood that as him telling me to shut up, so I placed both
of my hands over my mouth and nodded repeatedly.
He’s always scarier when he’s smiling.

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“Everyone’s here, I see,” Sylvester said. He had entered with Florencia once
everyone was ready, and just like last year, the meeting commenced. “A lot
changed this year, so our gathering here won’t be brief. Don’t let your minds
wander or you’ll miss a lot of very important decisions.”

After these initial words, one of Sylvester’s scholars began by announcing
our place in the duchy rankings this year. Ehrenfest was now eighth, meaning we
would be using the doors and rooms marked eight in the Royal Academy next
year.

“Rozemyne’s Mana Compression Method is producing excellent results
among children still in their growth period,” Sylvester said. “Furthermore, the
children are collectively working together to improve not just their own grades,
but the grades of the whole duchy. Their accomplishments can be seen through
how many honor students we have attained and the fact that our grades at the
Royal Academy have risen significantly. Keep up the good work.”

Wilfried frowned, adopting a slight pout. “I thought we’d go higher than
that...”

“Getting a higher rank through grades and trends alone seems unlikely,” I
replied. “We have just about reached our limit, unless Ehrenfest begins to hold
more influence within the Sovereignty. Those above us now are middle duchies
with royal family members and greater duchies that have more influence to
begin with.”

If we wanted to climb beyond eighth, we would not only need to keep up
with the trends, but also send people into the Sovereignty to converse with and
sway fellow Sovereign nobles. The problem was that this latter point would
immediately put Ehrenfest in dire straits. We just didn’t have the manpower to
spare.

“So we need to train new people, then?” Wilfried asked.
“I imagine it will be many years before we can send skilled workers while
maintaining our current grades,” Charlotte said, looking equally as troubled as
her brother. Ehrenfest’s population was on the smaller side for a duchy of our
size, meaning it would take us quite some time to produce people skilled enough
to work in the Sovereignty.
“Our business deals this year have increased our influence with Klassenberg
and the Sovereignty, even if only by a small amount,” Sylvester continued.
“Next year, we plan to finally start spreading printed goods at the Royal
Academy. Keep your guards up and do your jobs.”
Sylvester then went on to explain the deals that had been made during the

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conference. We had settled on doing business with Klassenberg, the
Sovereignty, and Dunkelfelger.

A scholar looked around the room, then started to give more details. “We
have given permission for eight companies from the Sovereignty to come; six
from Klassenberg, as they caused problems in the lower city last year; and six
from Dunkelfelger. As for the duchies we were once again unable to sign with,
Lady Rozemyne permitted us to sell them the production method for rinsham
and certain sweets. This should help contain the rising price of plant oil.
Increasing trade is important, but we have been made painfully aware that our
entire duchy must be prepared, not just our city.”

There was a limit to how many merchants could be accepted into Ehrenfest’s
lower city, so it was outright impossible for us to take any more trade partners
without either expanding the city or increasing the amount of accommodation
available in the cities alongside the main trading route, such as Groschel.

That said, sorting out large-scale infrastructure projects is a job for
Sylvester, not me.

“Next, I shall report on the printing industry,” the scholar said. “We held a
meeting to discuss our acquired right to publish the book on Dunkelfelger
history.” He then repeated what Hartmut had already told me before signaling
for another one of Sylvester’s retainers to bring forth a box.

“These are the winnings that Ferdinand secured alongside the rights in
question through his ditter match,” Sylvester said. The box apparently contained
the ingredients that Heisshitze had promised. Ferdinand checked its contents to
confirm, then handed the box to Justus.

Another scholar stood up. “As Lord Wilfried and Lady Rozemyne are now
engaged, it is Lady Charlotte who was flooded with marriage proposals this
year.”

Apparently, there had been a truly shocking amount. There were requests
from greater duchies for her to be a second or third wife, and even requests from
top-ranking middle duchies asking her to be a first wife—something that would
have been unthinkable just a year ago.

“We postponed our answers, as this is not a matter to be settled on the spot,
and intend to consider these options with Lady Charlotte’s thoughts in mind.”

Ehrenfest hadn’t yet decided which duchies it wanted to maintain or establish
connections with. We would need to consider whether it was best to establish a
relationship with a greater duchy with Charlotte as a second or third wife or
whether it was best to have her be a first wife, which would allow her to attend

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the Archduke Conference.
“Some duchies also offered Aub Ehrenfest second and third wives,” the

scholar noted. “These, too, will receive careful consideration.”
Sylvester had publicly declared that he didn’t intend to marry anyone but

Florencia, but the times had changed, and Ehrenfest was no longer in a position
where we could keep to ourselves. Now, we had to use marriages to form bonds
and increase our influence with other duchies.

“Those requests will also be put on hold for now,” Sylvester said with a bitter
grimace. Florencia, who was sitting beside him, merely shook her head and
shrugged, as if to say that she did not mind him having more wives and wished
he would stop avoiding the subject.

Sylvester coughed, stood up, and waved a hand to change the subject. “I
think it’s time we move on to announcements about royalty. Prince Hildebrand
had his debut. He’s the son of the king’s third wife from Dunkelfelger, but he’s
being raised as a vassal. It seems safe to say that Prince Sigiswald is going to
take the throne.”

This announcement resulted in some low muttering among those gathered.
“The child of the Dunkelfelger wife seems more competent and mana-rich than
that of the Gilessenmeyer wife,” one person said, “so I am surprised that
Dunkelfelger stood down so easily.”

Another nodded in agreement. “They must be prioritizing avoiding another
civil war above all else.”

“Furthermore, Prince Anastasius’s Starbind Ceremony with Lady Eglantine
was completed without issue,” Sylvester continued. “The hairpin she wore was
one she received from Ehrenfest. It drew much attention, and we expect further
orders for hairpins from greater duchies and royals.”

That made sense. I thought of the archduke candidates who would be
graduating next year and considered the possibility that Lestilaut from
Dunkelfelger might order one.

I wonder what Lady Detlinde will do? Aub Ahrensbach asked for a husband
for her, but Ferdinand refused.

“One last thing—and this is going to impact Ehrenfest more than anything
else mentioned thus far,” Sylvester said. His voice lowered, and his expression
disappeared as if to contain his emotions.

Is this the most important thing that happened at the Archduke Conference? I
wondered, leaning forward out of curiosity. In contrast to my enthusiasm, all
those who had returned from the conference were wearing similarly flat

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expressions.
Once all eyes were on Sylvester, he began to speak. “The king has ordered

that Ferdinand and Lady Detlinde of Ahrensbach be joined in matrimony. They
are to be engaged posthaste, and their marriage will take place as soon as Lady
Detlinde graduates from the Royal Academy.”

But... I thought the matter was dealt with! What’s this about the king
ordering it?!

I glanced over at Ferdinand without a moment’s hesitation. He was wearing
the same fake smile that he had been using to mask his feelings ever since he
returned from the Royal Academy.

“An engagement? How wonderful. To think love would return to Lord
Ferdinand...”

“I would never have expected a greater duchy such as Ahrensbach to seek a
former temple priest. What an honor.”

“The king must have remembered and favored Lord Ferdinand from when he
came first-in-class so many years in a row.”

The attending nobles exchanged words of celebration, which Ferdinand
received with a polite nod and the same exaggerated smile. It was clear that he
hadn’t wished for this marriage—in fact, he had outright told me that he had
refused it. I knew that the more guarded of a smile he put on, the angrier and
more dissatisfied he was on the inside... but everyone was celebrating this news
as though Ferdinand was over the moon himself.

Just how much pain does Ferdinand have to endure in his life? Now he has to
marry Lady Detlinde, who’s more or less a young version of Lady Veronica, the
woman he hates most? Will the world ever let him be happy?

Just seeing Ferdinand smile like that made me so frustrated and sad that I
wanted to cry. Sylvester must have felt the same; his eyes wandered to
Ferdinand, and immediately his flat expression morphed into a deep frown.
Florencia gave him a light jab in the side a beat later, prompting him to become
stone-faced once again... but I could see his true feelings through the cracks in
his mask.

Sylvester looked around the room, seeming a little frustrated. “I ask for
quiet,” he said. The words of celebration stopped, and all eyes turned to him. “It
has been decided that Ferdinand will move to Ahrensbach after Lady Detlinde’s
graduation, and their Starbind Ceremony will be held straight away during the
following Archduke Conference.”

Normally, an engagement like this would sit for a year following one’s

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graduation; there was a lot to prepare when it came to moving duchies. Marrying
right after one’s graduation was very strange, and there must have been some
dire circumstances behind it.

“Thus, Ferdinand will be removed from his position as High Priest, and we
will need to assign someone to take his place,” Sylvester said.

The room began to stir; those looking to climb the social hierarchy had much
to gain from supporting me as the High Priest. The problem for them was the
temple’s reputation. Although its image was slowly improving due to my
retainers’ and my regular visits and the occasional phenomenon like the
Haldenzel Miracle, nobles were still very clearly loath to get involved. I could
see them all grappling with their pride as they weighed up the pros and cons.

“Aub Ehrenfest, I humbly ask that you assign me to be the High Priest.”
This request came from Hartmut, of all people. He listed reason after reason
why he was suitable for the job: he was already familiar with the temple through
visiting it so often, he would be able to hit the ground running due to his
experience helping Ferdinand, and it was the job of my retainers to assist me in
the first place.
“But Hartmut, you... Are you not getting married in a few years?” Ferdinand
asked, furrowing his brow. One naturally could not enter the temple after
inviting one’s marriage partner to the duchy—nobody in the temple was married,
for priests and shrine maidens could not get married. That was precisely why I,
myself, would only be serving as the High Bishop until I came of age.
Hartmut smiled as though this weren’t an issue at all. “I do not intend to
abandon my position as a noble; I am simply prioritizing assisting Lady
Rozemyne above all else. When she comes of age and leaves her post, I will do
the same and get married. Indeed, there is nothing to worry about—if Clarissa
does not wish for me to enter the temple, I will simply cancel our engagement.”
That... That would be a problem in itself! Clarissa and her parents will have
a lot to say about you entering the temple after promising to marry her. And
she’s, like, the only girl in the world who would actually marry you, Hartmut! So
what are you going to do if this falls through?!
I would be coming of age four years from now, by which point Clarissa
would be eighteen. That wasn’t old enough for people to say that she had
married late, but it was a bit too long to make her wait, in my opinion.
Besides, I don’t need any more retainers who refuse to get married!
My internal screams went unanswered, and Sylvester really had no choice but
to select the lone candidate for the job. “In that case, I hereby assign you to the

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position of High Priest, Hartmut. You will serve as a retainer in the castle, but in
the temple, you will take on your new role. It will prove exceedingly difficult,
and you will have much to do in order to take over in so short a time... but the
duty is now yours.”

“I graciously accept,” Hartmut replied.
This marked the end of the meeting. The room was abuzz, and most people
left with bright expressions, pleased to have some good news to talk about. Of
course, there was one particular group of people who weren’t so happy...
“This was another hectic year,” Wilfried said.
“Indeed,” Charlotte replied. “The printing industry will shift greatly next
year, so perhaps it would be wise for us to greet Elvira and ask her to start
sending us more work to complete.”
And so, they both headed over to Elvira, having decided while working with
Bonifatius to increase their scholars’ workloads. I watched them go, then stood
up with a clatter and approached Ferdinand, whose smile remained unfaltering.
“We need to talk,” I said, glaring up at him.
To my surprise, the voice that followed didn’t belong to Ferdinand; Sylvester
had appeared next to us, and with unmistakable anger he said, “Good timing. I
need to talk to Ferdinand too. Both of you, come to my office.” I almost shouted,
“Don’t lump me in with him!” on instinct, but I thankfully managed to hold my
tongue.

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A More Private Meeting (Second Year)

“I’m clearing the room,” Sylvester said. “Out.” He waved everyone away,
then plopped down into his seat. I could tell from his posture and the sharp glint
in his dark-green eyes that he was in an incredibly bad mood. “Hurry up,” he
growled as the retainers shuffled out.

“I can talk with Ferdinand later; don’t let me interrupt you,” I said,
attempting to escape this terrifying atmosphere... but Ferdinand grabbed me by
the shoulder and secured me in place. He leaned in close, still wearing that false
smile that made my skin crawl.

“Stay here,” he said. “I expect that both you and Sylvester will ask the same
questions anyway, so it will save me time to have you both in one place.”

Nooo! My escape plan, torn to shreds!
Soon enough, my retainers were gone as well, leaving me at Ferdinand’s
mercy. I could only watch as the door shut behind them.
“Now, speak,” Sylvester said. “What were you told when the king summoned
you? Why was the marriage decided without my consultation?!”
“What?! Our aub was absent?!” I shouted. Archducal permission was always
necessary when deciding on marriages between duchies, and with Ferdinand
being a member of the Ehrenfest archducal family, it was absolutely unthinkable
that Sylvester hadn’t been there.
“If you hadn’t been so stupid and consented while being questioned, I could
have turned them down a thousand ways,” Sylvester said. “But because you did,
the matter was settled before I was even told about it.”
To my disbelief, Ferdinand had been summoned under the pretense of
discussing the severe casualties that had resulted from the ternisbefallen attack,
and it was during this meeting that the king had broached the topic of marriage.
“It’s normal for people to be questioned separately during inquiries,”
Sylvester said. “That’s the only reason I sent you off without a second thought.
Had I known that Ahrensbach intended to discuss marriage, I never would have
let you go. I don’t want you to suffer any more than you already have,
Ferdinand!”
Sylvester’s worried cries made my chest pang with emotion, but Ferdinand

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seemed to be unmoved. He crossed his arms, looking down at the aub with cold
eyes. “I moved things along before you could get involved precisely because I
knew you would protest as you are now, even when given a direct order by the
king. You should know how foolish it is to defy him—or, what, did you intend
to put our entire duchy at risk for my sake? Good grief... You are as soft on your
family as always. Did you learn nothing from the incident that ultimately forced
you to convict your own mother?” He paused for a moment with his eyes closed
and then muttered, “There is no choice but to obey a king’s order. You
understand that, Sylvester, do you not?”

“If you hadn’t accepted on your own, we could have put forward so many
reasons to refuse,” Sylvester said. He then started to list all of the excuses he had
first used to reject the request from Ahrensbach.

Ferdinand crossed his arms and scoffed. “Saying that we are neutral may be
pleasing to the ear, but consider this—Ehrenfest has shot up through the ranks
while making no effort to assist the king. Meanwhile, Ahrensbach is being
ravaged by a mana shortage, having even been forced to demote two of its
archduke candidates to archnobles. One can deduce without a moment of
thought which duchy the king would prioritize.”

It was generally said throughout Yurgenschmidt that Ehrenfest’s rise through
the ranks was due to the duchy having escaped punishment through its neutrality
and thus having the leeway to grow. We were resented by many duchies that had
lost in the civil war and were suffering for it, as well as many duchies that had
won but were still struggling with mana shortages due to the purge and having to
offer up their nobles to the Sovereignty. At the same time, we were seen as being
dangerous, for our influence was rising despite our loyalty to the Sovereignty
and the king remaining so uncertain.

“It is important that we demonstrate our willingness to listen to the king—
that we have no intention of opposing him,” Ferdinand concluded.

“That’s not a good enough reason for you to accept a proposal from... from
Ahrensbach, of all places!” Sylvester protested. “There are plenty of duchies
above Ehrenfest in the rankings that could have provided a fine husband for
Detlinde. They must have men closer to her age and without a reputation for
being in the temple.”

Another duchy certainly would have been able to provide a better husband.
Ehrenfest had only recently started to climb the ranks, and many loud voices still
claimed that our success was temporary. Many would surely view a greater
duchy accepting a spouse from Ehrenfest as very unreliable in the long term.

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“My involvement with the temple was a problem as well, you know. The
king seems to have heard rumors from various sources that I am being
mistreated here,” Ferdinand said. Despite coming first-in-class every single year
at the Royal Academy, he had ended up in the temple almost immediately after
his graduation and the death of the former aub. And then there was me; I was
serving as the High Bishop despite similarly coming first-in-class and being
adopted by the archduke.

“The king heard many pleas,” Ferdinand continued. “‘Ehrenfest never sends
children of the first wife to the temple, but all others are abused.’ ‘It is
unthinkable that they would crush such young talent.’ ‘Please, save them from
Ehrenfest.’ It would seem they were quite convincing.”

Wilfried and Charlotte were helping with Spring Prayer and the Harvest
Festival, but this information wasn’t widely known. Not to mention, Ferdinand
and I would return to the temple whenever we had the opportunity. I enjoyed the
relaxing atmosphere there a lot more than the tension of the castle, and
Ferdinand similarly got enough leeway there to enjoy his hobby of researching.

“I suppose that other duchies wouldn’t know we’ve been turning down
requests to spend more time in the castle so that we can stay in the temple,” I
said. “Still, who were making those pleas anyway?”

“I am told they came from many in Dunkelfelger and Drewanchel,”
Ferdinand replied. “The king is surrounded by powerful people, many of whom
were telling him to rescue me from the temple and marry me to a greater duchy
so that I might stand upon the stage once again.”

Okay, I guess they were acting with good intentions... but wow, that certainly
backfired.

I was well aware that my opinion of the temple was far from the norm, but I
still wished that everyone else had just minded their own business. I also felt that
Ehrenfest’s information management skills were severely lacking in areas, since
we hadn’t managed to guide these other duchies in a way that would benefit us.

“If you were to ignore the will of the greater duchies and oppose a marriage
ordered by the king, your reputation as Aub Ehrenfest would plummet,”
Ferdinand noted. “You understand the consequences of that, surely.”

Sylvester’s eyes shot open. “Do you seriously care more about my reputation
than the marriage you’ll be spending the rest of your life in?! To begin with, I
find it hard to believe you’d let rumors like that impact anything. You would
have knocked them down on the spot. You’re hiding something. Something
happened after the first time you refused the marriage that forced your hand,

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didn’t it? Spit it out. You’ve got a bad habit of trying to shoulder everything
yourself.”

Ferdinand let out a single sigh, then looked away. “I would rather not discuss
it, as its veracity is uncertain.”

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